Friday, February 21, 2014

If you know me at all, you know I LOVE zipper pouches! Since all the fabric is still out from my Octopus Tote Bag, I thought I would sew up a few pouches. They sew up super fast. I made 2 versions and I will explain them both below.

Use the same measurements for the outer bag and the lining (9'x 6.5") This bag is canvas so omit the fusible fleece.

For the accent strip, cut (2) 3" x 9" and press edges to the center.

I used basting spray to hold the folded edges in place.

Pin the accent strip 3.5" from the top and make sure it's straight. Topstitch both sides of the accent strip onto the canvas pieces. Do this on the front and back pieces.

Prepare the appliqué by tracing the octopus pattern HERE on Heat n Bond Lite. Iron to the wrong side of the fabric. Cut on the pattern line.

Position the octopus as placed above. I like to use an open foot like this Bermina #20 when sewing around my images. It lets me see the image better. Sew around the octopus twice with a straight stitch. I had some fabric with words on it and sewed the word strip on.

Once the bag front and back are finished, sew the bag together as in the tutorial here. I added a swivel lobster clasp to the side. Also, when notching the bottom corners, instead of a 1.5" square, use a 1.25" square.

Version 2 Rounded Zipper Pouch

This zipper pouch is super easy - there is no lining and no zipper tabs which means you can make it in about 15 minutes! The weight of the canvas gives it enough strength.

Cut (2) rectangles from the canvas 5.5" x 7.5"

Using a bowl or plate, round the bottom two corners of the 2 rectangles.

Using basting spray, place one of the bag pieces to the wrong side of your fabric. Spray in place. Cut around the bag shape. This is now your bag back.

Applique the octopus on the bag in the same manner as the first zipper pouch.

These are the two bag pieces.

Lay the zipper in between the bag pieces, right side up like this:

Flip the zipper over and align with the top edge of the back piece. Sew using a zipper foot. Then sew the zipper to the bag front in the same manner. Press and top stitch along zipper seam.

With the zipper pull in the center of the bag, trim off the excess zipper. Place bag front and bag back right sides together. Pin. Sew using 1/4" seams. Zig zag the edges so they won't fray.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

I am sooooo excited to share this tutorial with you! It's on the Therm O Web blog today!! I have been working like crazy to get it done! We are ocean lovers at my house. In fact the octopus is my daughter's favorite animal! This tote bag is made with heavy canvas and accents of Blend quilting cottons. The blue fabrics have the feel of water. This project uses Therm O Web's Spray n Bond, Fusible Fleece and Heat n Bond Lite.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

When you're in Kindergarten the 100th day of school is a pretty big deal. Thanks to Heat n Bond Lite I was able to make this shirt in about 5 minutes…..which was good because it was about 11:00 at night when the idea popped into my head!

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

We love Valentine's Day and we love 1D at our house, at least my Kindergartner does (and mommy)! We found these 1D valentines at the store and decided they needed something a little extra. We turned them into pretend Backstage Passes! Here's how you can make them:

Cut them out. Cut the 1D valentines to fit on the pass. I choose to use the picture on the back of the valentine since it was of all 5 of the guys and it was a little smaller and fit perfectly in the space. Glue the valentines to the passes.
Oh my, they are so cute…..I mean the Valentines are so cute :)

Print the back of the pass on regular paper and cut on the faint gray line.

The 1D valentines come with little stickers. So we added a sticker to the back. Sally then signed them all. Glue the front and the back together.

Insert into a laminating pouch and laminate.

Punch a hole in the top and add some twill tape or ribbon. I bout this giant spool of neon pink twill tape in LA for about $5. I didn't know what I would ever use it for!!!

We are just a little bit excited to wear this!! We are making one for everyone in the class - even the boys - oh well! That's about 26 in all! Better get cutting!

Monday, February 10, 2014

This weekend I helped host a baby shower for a dear friend who just adopted a precious bundle of joy!

Since it is so close to Valentine's Day and we love baby Harper so much, we thought it fitting to have a Baby Love shower with all things pink, red, and hearts!

I made my favorite strawberry, coconut, and chocolate cupcakes. We had a few ladies bring different salads as well.

I think our streamer treatment turned out pretty good!

It was such a fun shower with lots of friends and lots of love for baby Harper! At the end of the shower, things got a little crazy. I wanted a picture all together and when we stood by the balloon towers, it felt like we were at the prom. And this is the result!